Practice Areas
- Special Visas/Humanitarian Visas 100%
About Jacqueline Novas // La Abogada Jacqueline Novas
Attorney Jacqueline Novas has over thirty years of experience in civil, criminal and appellate litigation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Mount Holyoke College, where she graduated Cum Laude. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
Before joining Naimeh Salem & Associates, Jacqueline spent twenty years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Puerto Rico. Throughout her career as a federal prosecutor Jacqueline handled high profile public corruption, federal program fraud, violent crimes and drug trafficking prosecutions, civil forfeiture litigation and appellate practice. She is a former Counsel to the Governor of Puerto Rico, Deputy Solicitor General of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Special Assistant to the Puerto Rico Attorney General.
Jacqueline is the recipient of the U.S. Attorney General’s Award and the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation, and the EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Performance in Prevention and Reentry Activities.
Jacqueline is a member of the Bar of Puerto Rico, State Bar of Texas, the United States District Courts for the District of Puerto Rico and the Northern District of Texas, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit.
She is fluent in both English and Spanish and brings her experience defending crime victims’ rights to our Special Visas Division at Naimeh Salem & Associates.
La abogada Jacqueline Novas cuenta con más de treinta años de experiencia en litigios civiles, criminales y práctica apelativa. Jacqueline obtuvo su Bachillerato de Artes en Relaciones Internacionales de Mount Holyoke College, donde se graduó Cum Laude. Obtuvo el grado de Juris Doctor de Harvard Law School.
Antes de unirse a Naimeh Salem & Associates, Jacqueline fue Fiscal Federal Auxiliar en la Fiscalía Federal del Distrito de Puerto Rico por 20 años. Durante su carrera en el Departamento de Justicia de los Estados Unidos, Jacqueline manejó casos de alto perfil de corrupción pública, fraude a programas federales, crímenes violentos, tráfico de drogas, confiscaciones de bienes y apelaciones. Anteriormente fue Asesora de la Gobernadora de Puerto Rico, Sub-Procuradora General y Ayudante Especial del Secretario de Justicia de Puerto Rico.
Jacqueline recibió varios reconocimientos por su labor como fiscal federal, incluyendo los Premios del Fiscal General y el Director del FBI por Investigación Criminal Excepcional, por el Operativo Guard Shack, y el Premio del Director de la Oficina Ejecutiva de Fiscales Federales por su labor sobresaliente en actividades de prevención y reingreso a la comunidad.
Jacqueline ha sido admitida a la práctica de la abogacía en Puerto Rico y Texas, en el Tribunal de Distrito de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito de Puerto Rico y el Distrito Norte de Texas, y en el Tribunal de Apelaciones para el Primer Circuito.
Jacqueline habla Inglés y Español con fluidez y trae su experiencia en defender los derechos de las víctimas de crímenes a la División de Visas Especiales de NSA.
Bar Admissions
- Puerto Rico, 1991
- Texas
- U.S. District Court District of Puerto Rico
- U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas
- U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit
Honors
- U.S. Attorney General’s Award
- FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Criminal Investigation
- EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Performance in Prevention and Reentry Activities
Languages
- English
- Spanish
Education
- Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Juris Doctor
- Mount Holyoke College
- B.A., Bachelor of Arts
- Honors: cum laude
- Major: International Relations
Past Positions
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Puerto Rico, Assistant U.S. Attorney
- Governor of Puerto Rico, Former Counsel
- Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Deputy Solicitor General
- Puerto Rico Attorney General, Special Assistant